Telling Congress to Protect Research Funding
Members of the Defending Research Working Group (DRWG) spearheaded a statewide campaign to pressure New York’s congressional delegation to defend crucial federal funding for research at CUNY and SUNY. We circulated an open letter, garnering over 2,000 signatures from fellow researchers demanding a full-throated defense of our federal research funding and decisive action to safeguard the scientific enterprise. On June 30th, we hosted a press conference with NYC Comptroller Brad Lander and representatives from UUP and NYSUT to publicise the letter and amplify our demands. Check out the photos below, and see selected video from the event here.
PSC President James Davis and NYC Comptroller Brad Lander (Credit: Paul Frangipane)
Ron Gross, NYSUT Second Vice President (Credit: Paul Frangipane)
PSC President James Davis (Credit: Paul Frangipane)
Professor Monica Trujillo (Credit: Paul Frangipane)
(Credit: Paul Frangipane)
NYC Comptroller Brad Lander (Credit: Paul Frangipane)
Testimony in Defense of Research
Photo: BMCC website
John J. Dennehy, Professor, Queens College and The Graduate Center: “Unlike the Ivy League schools, CUNY does not have the resources to support faculty research in the absence of federal funding. We must change the narrative, and the public must learn about the catastrophic consequences of cutting funding for public universities! The consequences of the administration’s cuts to science funding are already devastating our community. Students, both undergraduate and graduate, have suddenly lost their financial support, vital summer programs have been canceled, and ongoing research projects are grinding to a halt.” (Read John J. Dennehy’s full testimony.)
Claire Wladis, Professor, Borough of Manhattan Community College: “The negative impacts of these federal grant terminations cannot be overemphasized. There are immediate negative impacts to students, staff and researchers employed on these grants who abruptly lose health insurance and income that they depend on to pay living expenses, including educational expenses for their children and unreimbursed medical costs. Most of the terminations at the NSF have been to educational research, which is critical to improving student outcomes and providing a quality education to all students, regardless of background or resources, which is the fundamental core of CUNY’s mission.” (Read Claire Wladis’ full testimony.)
Photo: BMCC website
Jenna Tipaldo, Adjunct Lecturer, PhD Student, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health: “My fellow students are in peril – lost research funding means that some of them may be unable to complete their studies, for various reasons, and some are considering leaving academia or even the country for more stable opportunities. I see faculty members across my various institutions uncertain of whether they will be able to continue their important work studying topics such as health, migration, and mortality due to environmental hazards, including disproportionate impacts on frontline and environmental justice communities.” (Read Jenna Tipaldo’s full testimony and watch her video testimony here.)
CUNY Research in the News
OP-EDs
The pieces were submitted in coordination with the McClintock letters, a national researchers communications project organized by graduate students (NY Times). Five have been published so far and the others are pending:
- Opinion: The Impact of Cuts to Science and Education, La Voz, July 2025, by Mónica Trujillo (Spanish version here.)
- Opinion: US STEM Students Are Struggling. Slashed Federal Research Funds Will Set Them Back Further, Newsweek, June 30, by Claire Wladis
- Opinion: LI medical research, higher education hurt by budget cuts, Newsday, June 26, by Wendy Chavkin and Nicholas Freudenberg
- Op-ed | How Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is bad for Queens, QNS.com, June 17, by Jenna Tipaldo
- Opinion: One reckless budget cut. Thousands of students at risk, Queens Eagle, June 16, by Reem Jafar
- Federal cuts are impacting curiosity-driven science in the U.S., threatening our world standing (opinion), Staten Island Advance, June 14, by Cathay Savage-Dunn
News Coverage
- “PSC, higher-ed unions slam federal research funding cuts” – June 30th, The Chief
- “CUNY warns $17M in research grants at risk after Trump stop-work orders” – May 17th, New York Daily News
- “Trump Cuts Off Budding CUNY Scientists From Mentorship and Aid” – May 14th, The City
- “‘Bridge the gap’: After federal grant freeze, CUNY union seeks city funding lifeline to continue research” – May 14th, AMNY
- “City academic unions condemn Trump’s attacks on universities” – May 2nd, 2025, The Chief
Join the Working Group
Join the PSC’s new working group to defend research in the sciences and medicine. We’ll work to organize with the union in response to increasing attacks on academic research funding. Sign up below to get involved with this important work.
